Selective call message management

Abstract

Messages received by a selective call receiver are stored in source files with a user allocated number of message storage slots in response to a message source signal indicating the source of the message. Messages are retrieved utilizing the source files facilitating message location in large memories. Source files are retrieved on a priority basis which is a function of a predetermined priority associated with each source file and the status of messages stored therein.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method in a communication receiver for saving a message transmitted to the communication receiver individually, said message having transmitted therewith a message source signal indicating an originator of said message and the communication receiver having a plurality of source files, said method comprising the steps of: receiving said message and said message source signal;   decoding the message source signal; and   storing said message in one of said plurality of source files, said one of said plurality of source files determined by the message source signal.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1, each of said plurality of source files having at least one message storage slot for storing a message, wherein the step of storing said message comprises the step of storing said message in an unoccupied one of said at least one message storage slot. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 1 each of said plurality of source files having at least one message storage slot for storing a message, wherein the step of storing said message comprises the step of storing said message in an earliest occupied message storage slot having information stored therein if there are no unoccupied message storage slots in said one of said plurality of source files, thereby overwriting said information stored therein. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of storing said message comprises the step of storing said message in an earliest occupied unprotected message slot. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1 further comprising before the step of receiving said message, the steps of: designating a source identification signal for each of said plurality of source files; and   allocating to each of said plurality of source files, at least one message storage slot.   
     
     
       6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing said message further comprises the step of storing said message in one of said plurality of source files having the source identification signal substantially equivalent to said message source signal. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of storing said message comprises the step of storing said message in an unoccupied message storage slot of said at least one message storage slot. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of storing said message comprises the step of storing said message in an earliest occupied message storage slot of said at least one message storage slot having information stored therein if there are no unoccupied message storage slots of said at least one message storage slot in said one of said plurality of source files, thereby overwriting said earliest occupied message storage slot. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of storing said message comprises the step of storing said message in an earliest occupied unprotected message storage slot of said at least one message storage slot. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of allocating at least one message storage slot to each of said plurality of source files comprises the step of allocating a user selectable number of message storage slots to each of said plurality of source files. 
     
     
       11. A message storage apparatus for storing information having an information originator indicator indicating an originator of said information, said information received by said message storage apparatus in conjunction with a destination address, said message storage apparatus comprising: memory means comprising a plurality of source files; and   control means for storing said information in a one of said plurality of source files in response to said information originator signal if said destination address corresponds to a predetermined address of said message storage apparatus.   
     
     
       12. The message storage apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of said source files within said memory means comprises a user selectable number of message storage slots. 
     
     
       13. The message storage apparatus of claim 11 wherein the control means includes a source file select means for sequentially selecting one of said plurality of source files in response to a priority associated with each of said source files. 
     
     
       14. The message storage apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a user selectable control coupled to the control means wherein successive activations of said user selectable control signals said source file select means to sequentially select one of said plurality of source files in the order: (a) selecting source files having unread information stored in message storage slots therein in the reverse order of which the unread information was received;   (b) selecting source files having information stored in message storage slots therein and having a predetermined priority level in the reverse order of which the most recently received information stored in message storage slots therein was received; and   (c) selecting the remaining source files in the reverse order of which the most recently received information stored within the message storage slots in the remaining source files was received.   
     
     
       15. The message storage apparatus of claim 14 wherein the predetermined priority level of each of said source files is user selectable. 
     
     
       16. A selective call receiver comprising: receiving means for receiving selective call messages having selective call addresses and message source signals, said message source signals indicating the originator of said selective call messages;   storage means for storing at least one predetermined selective call address;   a plurality of source files, each source file comprising at least one message storage slot, for storing each of the selective call messages comprising selective call addresses substantially equivalent to one of said at least one predetermined selective call address;   display means for displaying the stored selective call messages; and   control means comprising: address correlation means for determining whether the selective call messages comprise selective call addresses substantially equivalent to one of said at least one predetermined selective call address;   storage control means for storing each of the selective call messages comprising said message source signals in one of said message storage slots of one of said plurality of source files, said one of said plurality of source files determined in response to said message source signals; and   source file selection means for selecting one of said plurality of source files for displaying the selective call messages stored therein by said display means.     
     
     
       17. The selective call receiver of claim 16 wherein said at least one message storage slot comprises a user selectable number of message storage slots. 
     
     
       18. The selective call receiver of claim 16 wherein the source file selection means sequentially selects one of the plurality of source files in the order: (a) selecting source files having unread messages stored therein in the reverse order of which the unread messages were received;   (b) selecting source files having messages stored therein and having a predetermined priority level in the reverse order of which the most recently received messages stored therein were received; and   (c) selecting the remaining source files in the reverse order of which the most recently received messages stored within the remaining source files were received.   
     
     
       19. The selective call receiver of claim 18 wherein the predetermined priority level of each of said source files is user selectable.